1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to the field of bag holders and, in particular, to a device designed for holding in place conventional plastic grocery bags when such bags, filled with groceries or other items, are being transported in a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Almost all grocery stores and supermarkets as well as many other types of retailers provide plastic bags to customers for carrying purchases. Probably the most often used type is commonly referred to as a T-shirt bag, made of a thin plastic material with cutouts at the open end to form two handles for carrying the bag.
Unlike a box or other container with rigid confines, such a plastic bag has no ability to maintain any shape apart from the shape of whatever items the bag may be enveloping and is unable to prevent the items within it from causing the shape and position of the bag to shift. The bag does not have sufficient rigidity to keep the enclosed items in a space defined by the dimensions of the bag; if the items shift to a different position, the bag will also move. Hence, when a bag of items is placed in a vehicle, the items tend to move, roll about, shift position and fall out of the bag as the vehicle moves and turns. This is particularly true in the case of bags stored on the back of pick-up trucks, where the bags are free to move unimpaired by surrounding structures. The present invention is designed to prevent such shifting and moving as plastic bags are being transported in a vehicle.
A variety of bag holders have been described in prior-art patents, but none are designed to solve the particular problem addressed by the present invention and none are capable of being modified to do so. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,740 (1988), issued to Courtemanche et al., teaches a hook for supporting a plastic bag inside a container. Hobbs, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,422 (1963), describes a device to be semipermanently mounted in a car for holding a disposable litter bag. U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,077, issued to Grant (1971), also describes a clamp mechanism for holding litter bags in vehicles.
Edstrom's U.S. Pat. No. 1,350,443 (1920) discloses a device adjustable to engage bags of various sizes in an open position for filling. U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,548, issued to Bayes et al. (1992), describes a device for holding an assembly of T-shift bags on a mounting surface; the device allows a single bag to be removed quickly and held open for filling.
U.S. Pat. No. 946,108, issued to Carpenter (1910), and U.S. Pat. No. 1,117,880, issued to McMillin (1914), both describe racks designed to hold open Post Office mail bags for filling. Neither could be practically modified to accomplish the goals of the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,576,397 (1951), Grilley describes a body brace for fastening and reinforcing the sides of an open vehicle, such as the sides of a flat bed truck. The device could be modified to accomplish the goals of the present invention; however, because the device is designed to brace and reinforce, its structure, the number of pieces and the assembly required are far more complicated and elaborate than would be needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,156 to Richard (1992) discloses a load support system for a pick-up bed consisting of two horizontal braces placed above the wheel wells to widen the space available for a load. The structure of the device is geared to providing a frame capable of carrying wide loads that would not fit within the wheel wells of the bed. Even if the device were modified to provide the function of the present invention, the cumbersome, semi-permanent attachment method would be unattractive and unacceptable to the typical transporter of grocery bags. Furthermore, the braces are attached by means of a multi-piece and complicated clamp system that, unlike the present invention, limits its use to vehicles with open sides.
None of the devices described in the foregoing patents is directed to solving the particular problem addressed by the present invention nor could they be adapted to do so. None show a structure similar to the present invention. Therefore, there still exists for a need for a simple, inexpensive, adjustable holding device that enables thin, plastic bags with handles to be anchored to a supporting structure in a vehicle to prevent the bags from shifting about and spilling their contents.